Lutheran Mission Cooperation and Church Building in Thailand 1976-1994 Marika Bjorkgren-Thylin (nee Bjorkgren) was born in 1974 in Karleby, Finland. She obtained her Master's degree in Church History at the Faculty of Theology at Abo Akademi University in 1998. After her graduation she has worked as a planning officer at the Centre for Continuing Education at Abo Akademi Uni- versity and as a secretary for mission education at the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission. Since November 2005 she serves as the Head of the Swedish Unit of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission. Cover: Linn Art/Linnea Ekstrand Pictures: The Photo Archive of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission Abo Akademi University Press Biskopsgatan 13, FI-20500 ABO, Finland Tel. +358-20 786 1468 Fax +358-20 786 1459 E-mail: [email protected] http:// www.abo.fi/ stiftelsen/ forlag Distribution: Oy Tibo-Trading Ab P.O.Box 33, FI-21601 PARGAS, Finland Tel. +358-2 454 9200 Fax+358-2 454 9220 E-mail: [email protected] http:// www.tibo.net FROM PIONEER MISSION TO AUTONOMOUS CHURCH From Pioneer Mission to Autonomous Church Lutheran Mission Cooperation and Church Building in Thailand 1976-1994 Marika Bjorkgren-Thylin ABO 2009 ABO AKADEMIS FORLAG - ABO AKADEMI UNIVERSITY PRESS CIP Cataloguing in Publication Bjorkgren-Thylin, Marika From pioneer mission to autonomous church : Lutheran mission cooperation and church building in Thailand 1976-1994 / Marika Bjorkgren-Thylin. - Abo : Abo Akademi University Press, 2009. Diss.: Abo Akademi University. ISBN 978-951-765-502-6 ISBN 978-951-765-502-6 ISBN 978-951-765-503-3 (digital) Painosalama Oy Abo 2009 CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 11 1.1 Object of research 11 1.2 Sources and methods 13 1.3 Previous research and literature 16 1.4 Structure of the thesis 21 1.5 Language and terminology 22 2. SOCIETY AND CHRISTIANITY IN THAILAND 26 2.1 Thai society in history 26 2.2 Development and change in Thai society since the mid-20th century 32 2.3 Religion and culture 37 2.4 History of Christianity in Thailand 44 2.5 Characteristics of Thai Christianity in the last quarter of the 20th century 58 3. THE ORIGIN OF LUTHERAN MISSION IN THAILAND 66 3.1 Reasons for Lutheran mission and mission cooperation 66 3.2 The church associations of the Lutheran mission 81 3.3 Lutheran activity before the establishment of the Lutheran Mission in Thailand 91 3.4 The purpose, organisation, and working methods of the Lutheran Mission in Thailand 100 3.5 Partners of cooperation within the Lutheran Mission in Thailand 114 Summary 137 4. FIELDS OF ACTION OF THE LUTHERAN MISSION IN THAILAND 138 4.1 Evangelism and church planting in Bangkok 138 4.2 Diaconal work in Bangkok 162 4.3 The formation of the Lutheran theological education 175 4.4 Radio ministry as a tool in the outreach programme 194 4.5 Literature work through the Rangsan Bookstore 205 Summary 210 5. GEOGRAPHICAL EXPANSION OF THE LUTHERAN MISSION IN THAILAND 211 5.1 The extension of the mission work to the Ubon Ratchathani province 212 5.2 The emergence of Lutheran groups in the Nakhon Ratchasima province 226 5.3 Work among Thai migrant workers in Singapore 232 Summary 240 6. PREPARATIONS FOR AN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN THAILAND 242 6.1 The formation of a Thai Lutheran liturgy 243 6.2 The theological basis and characteristics of the Lutheran mission in Thailand 258 6.3 The ordination of Thai ministers 270 6.4 Organising the local congregations 281 6.5 The endeavours made towards achieving economic self-reliance 288 6.6 The aspiration of the Thai Lutherans to become organised 301 6.7 Building new premises for the Lutheran ministry in Thailand 310 Summary 318 7. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN THAILAND 319 7.1 Working out a constitution for the church 320 7.2 Preparing an agreement between church and mission 341 7.3 Strategies and emphases of the new church 353 Summary 370 8. CONCLUSION 372 SAMMANFATTNING 385 ABBREVIATIONS 390 APPENDIXES 391 SOURCES AND LITERATURE 435 INDEX 469 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This study is the result of the efforts, support, and encouragement of many different people. First and foremost my warmest appreciation goes to my supervisor, Professor Ingvar Dahlbacka, for his practical advice and unlimited solicitude and support. I am also greatly indebted to Dr. Henrik Smedjebacka, who in the mid-1990s awoke my interest in the Lutheran mission in Thailand and has followed and assisted my work on the subject. In addition, University Lecturer Kim Groop and Amanuensis Mary Dahlbacka deserve a heartfelt thank you for their backing and advice. Special thanks go to the Finnish Thailand missionaries, in particular Maija and Jaakko Makela, Kirsti Kosonen, and Anneli Konni. They have always been prepared to discuss the Lutheran mission in Thailand and answer my questions about the development of the Lutheran church and the Lutheran work in the country. Special thanks go also to Missionary Eivind Hauglid of the Norwegian Missionary Society who has assisted me with both information and practical help. I also want to express my gratitude to the Archives and Library of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Helsinki; Archivist Minna Yli-Maunu who has helped me in the hunt for missing documents, and Librarian Hanna Rissanen who has supported me in the search for good literature. In addition, the Archives and Library of the Norwegian Missionary Society in Stavanger let me use their collections for this study. I am deeply indebted to the Academy of Finland, the Research Institute of Abo Akademi University Foundation, and the Finnish-Norwegian Cultural Foundation for providing the funding that has made this study possible. The participants of the doctorate seminars in Church History at Abo Akademi University's Faculty of Theology have given invaluable support, advice, and back-up in the research process. My friends and colleagues deserve to be thanked for having continued to show an interest in my research all these years. They have put up with both cries of joy over new discoveries and moaning about the tough life of a researcher. I want to thank my parents, Inga-Lill and Bjarne, for providing me a secure and loving home and having brought me up to believe that with hard work you can achieve anything you want. I also have to admit that my father was right; what it takes to write a doctoral thesis is not so much intelligence as determination, persistence, and strong sitting muscles. Words are not enough to express my thankfulness to my husband Ronny. My fascination for the Lutheran mission in Thailand is as long as our relationship. During all these years, Ronny has encouraged my studies and done everything to facilitate my work. Lucky for me, he does not know any other kind of life, but thinks it is absolutely normal that his wife spends all her leisure time in the sofa with a laptop on her knee and papers all over the living room. Ronny, when I finish this project, I promise that at least every now and then I will make time to bake those fresh cakes you like so much. I also want to thank our baby daughter Elsa, who was aware of her mother's tight timetable and did not announce her immediate arrival until the very second her mother sent the thesis for proofreading. Helsingfors, October 26, 2009 Marika Bjorkgren-Thylin 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Object of research On April 25, 1994, there was a modest news item in the foremost Finnish newspaper, the Helsingin Sanomat. The item reported that a Lutheran church consisting of fourteen congregations had been established in Thailand by certain Nordic mission organisations and Asian Lutheran churches, and that pastor Banjob Kusawadee had been elected the first bishop of the church. Even though the news item was short and inconspicuous, it was obvious that such an event must have been preceded by a lengthy and multifaceted process.1 The aim of this research is to examine how the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thailand came into being. I will explore the development from the starting of the Lutheran pioneer mission in 1976 to the founding of an autonomous Lutheran church in 1994. In this development, strategic, operational, financial and organisational issues played important roles and these will consequently be given particular attention. However, I will also examine the Lutheran mission enterprise in Thailand in relation to contemporary international mission thinking and mission methods as well as to more local 1 The first Evangelical Lutheran church was established in Thailand. The establishment of the church was due to the work carried out by the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission, the Norwegian Missionary Society, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong and the Lutheran Church in Malaysia and Singapore. The 34-year-old pastor Banjob Kusawadee was elected the first bishop of the new church. At present the Lutheran Church in Thailand has fourteen congregations of which ten are working in the Bangkok metropolitan area and four in northeastern Thailand. Helsingin Sanomat 25.4.1994, Ensimmainen luterilainen kirkko Thaimaassa. Translation from Finnish to English by the author. perspectives such as contextualisation and the adaptation of the mission work to Thai society. Christian missions have been carried out in Thailand since the 16th century, but Thailand has proved a difficult working environment for mission workers. If the result is calculated in the number of baptisms and church members, the Christian mission organisations working in Thailand have seen comparatively poor response to their message. In Thai society, Buddhism, culture, and national identity have traditionally been closely connected with each other.